Are Rays getting a raw deal?
Don't know if, in the greater scheme of things, it will make any difference, but the Tampa Bay Rays seem to be getting the preponderance of the bad umpiring calls in this World Series. Scott Kazmir is out of the game and charged with six walks, though there were a number of pitches that looked like strikes and registered as strikes on Fox's pitch tracking graphic.
I'll stipulate that I have no idea if the Fox thing is scientifically accurate . I assume it is, because it wouldn't be all that technologically difficult to create a system to determine if a baseball passes through the strike zone, but I'm going to use it to make my point anyway. I didn't need it to know that Kazmir had Pat Burrell struck out before the walk that led to his exit from the game. Home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg just wouldn't ring him up.
There was also that horrible call in Game 4, when Evan Longoria clearly tagged out Jimmy Rollins in a rundown near third base. The umpire was right in front of the call and somehow missed a tag that was so obvious on the television replay, you could see Longoria's glove bend against Rollins rear end.
I'm not suggesting that there's a conspiracy to keep the Rays from winning the Series. There have been a couple of egregious calls that have gone the other way, too. What's more likely is that the Rays pitchers have struggled to command the strike zone and have lost some credibility with the umpiring crew, which has been known to make umpires less likely to call borderline strikes.
This isn't just me talking. If you're watching the game and listening to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, you heard them say pretty much the same thing after Akinori Iwamura was called out in the sixth inning on a ball that appeared to be outside. Kellogg appears to be giving Cole Hamels a wide strike zone after squeezing Kazmir on the edges throughout his difficult four-plus innings.
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Comments
Pete - Pitch Tracker uses 3 cameras, and three computers that takes 30 frames per second to calculate speed and trajectory.
This somewhat outdated article explains it some. I'm sure its only more refined now.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061018&content_id=1716309&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp
So glad the game was suspended, as there is no way that game was being played at the best of any players abilities.
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Pete's reply: Thanks. I figured it was technologically sound. I agree on the weather issue, and an earlier post that suggested that all World Series games be treated as suspended games if they are delayed.
Posted by: Ben the Harris | October 27, 2008 11:35 PM
I agree Kazmir was jobbed tonight. It all comes back to Kazmir publicly critizing Daryl Cousins this summer, these umpires are a tight knit fraternity with longer memories than elephants. Another example of how they do things is last year when Sandy Alderson (the guy who said when the umpires tried a mass resignation, that "it sounds like a threat to be ignored or an offer to be accepted") became the Padres President in the middle of last season, the Padres couldn't get a call in August or September including the one that ended their season with Haliday not touching homeplate in the one game playoff. Yes I am in favor of taking the human element out of the game entirely, from electronic strike zones to close plays reviewed automatically by some neutral party in the booth.
Posted by: Joe in VA | October 27, 2008 11:37 PM
Pete--You're right, the umpiring hasn't been pretty, hasn't been professional. Yes, there was the blown call on the toss grabbed by Howard in his bare hand, and Danley's confused gesture when it seemed he was ringing up Longoria, but other than those two, the calls have been going against the Rays.
Jamie Moyer enjoyed a wide strike zone, playing right into his strength, while Sonnenstine couldn't get the breaking ball call above the belt. You saw Jamie walking off the field, tipping his cap, and saying to the home plate umpire "Good job." That's a politically savvy, ass-kissing move that I've seen from Mussina, Clemens, and Schilling more than once.
Kellogg is charted as a umpire with one of the tightest strike zones. Yet, his strike zone was not tight at all for Hammels.
In short, the Rays have been getting screwed throughout the series on balls and strikes.
This crew, rather than representing the best of the MLB umpires, is a gang straight out of detention.
You know I tabbed Pena as the series MVP before this got under way. And it has looked like what ever caused those dizzy spells earlier in the playoffs may have been continuing; it hasn't looked like he's seeing the ball well. But I picked him out of loyalty to a guy who has paid his dues.
We know the hyperbole of Ruth and Ripken saving baseball during their eras. Tonight, Pena saved baseball from a real downer ending to an exciting 2008 season--a rain-shortened final game in the World Series.
The Rays go on from here to win, win, win.
Posted by: Barry | October 27, 2008 11:59 PM
Pete,couldn't agree with you more,and the announcers seem to agree as well.If this is the best baseball has to offer,then that's one of the reasons I'm getting turned off by baseball in general.At least in football,they will come out and admit a referee or umpire blew a play.In baseball there is no accountability whatsoever.Granted the Orioles sucked this year,but I saw more bad calls that cost us games then I can ever remember.Kellog's strike zone for Hamels was a mile wide,and the one last night was just as wide.There was a pitch to Navarro that was about 8 inches outside on 2-1 called a strike with men on 1st and second that was almost laughable.It's pretty clear to me who the umpires want to win the Series.
Posted by: Burt from Essex | October 28, 2008 12:44 AM
Yea I am sure it had nothing to do with the fact that Hamels has a reputation for throwing strikes and Kazmir has a reputation for throwing a lot of balls and pitching to high pitch counts. Afterall I have only been hearing thats how it works for 30 years now.
The game shouldn't have been played at all to suspend it, taking the ball out of Hamels hand like they did is a major hit against the Phillies.
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Pete's reply: I think I conceded that in the post. The Rays have had control problems throughout, but when a ball is six inches outside and is called a key strike for Hamels and two straight are in the box against Burrell and are called balls, I think it's also fair to point that out.
Posted by: Jeff V. | October 28, 2008 8:47 AM
In the old days no one saw a computer image of the strike zone and where the ball ended up. And players weren't watching it on TV in the clubhouse. As Orioles' fans we've certainly seen our share of horrendous calls.
The "human error" demonstrated during the World Series only reinforces the need for instant replay.
And to celebrate Halloween here's a paranoid take on this; It was found that basketball refs were "on the take"...
Posted by: Northern oriole | October 28, 2008 7:43 PM